Departmental Plan 2021-2022
Table of contents
Message From the Chair and Chief Executive Officer
The 2020-21 reporting year that is nearing its end as I write this message was like no other in our lifetimes. The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic had significant implications for each of us as individuals, the economy, and societies around the world. It created serious challenges for the service providers that fall within the jurisdiction of the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) – particularly in aviation – and for the passengers and shippers who use their services.
Addressing those challenges was a central focus for the CTA throughout 2020-21, even as almost all its employees switched to remote work arrangements overnight and continued to work from home for the entire period.
A large number of air licence and permit applications were quickly processed, facilitating the repatriation of Canadians stranded abroad and importation of personal protective equipment. Multiple requests from airlines and airports for temporary regulatory adjustments in response to the crisis were considered. Substantial headway was made on dealing with the extraordinary number of complaints filed with the CTA – some 23,000 – during the year after the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) fully came into effect on December 15, 2019. And following receipt of the requisite regulation-making authority from the Minister of Transport, the CTA launched public consultations on how to fix the gap in the air passenger protection framework highlighted by the pandemic: the lack of any minimum obligation for airlines to give refunds to passengers when flights are cancelled for reasons outside airlines' control and it isn't possible to get passengers to their destinations in a reasonable time.
In addition, progress was made on a number of major projects initiated before the pandemic struck. New and updated guidance material was released to help transportation service providers and their customers understand the rules that apply to them, including the APPR and the new Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations. Work continued, with the International Civil Aviation Organization, on a compendium of best practices from around the globe with respect to accessible air travel. And implementation of a modern, risk-based approach to compliance monitoring and enforcement moved forward.
Finally, alongside these various demands and initiatives, the CTA provided the full range of its regular services – from mediating and adjudicating accessible transportation complaints and disputes between railway companies and shippers, to setting the Maximum Revenue Entitlement for the movement of regulated western grain and rail interswitching rates, to assessing whether there are suitable Canadian vessels when applications to use foreign vessels are made under the Coasting Trade Act. The fact that the CTA maintained all its activities during a time of upheaval reflects the tremendous dedication, agility, resilience, and professionalism of its employees.
The CTA team will keep delivering in 2021-22. As this Departmental Plan explains, the CTA's priorities – even as it deals with the ongoing challenges stemming from the pandemic – will include working through the large number of complaints on the books; finalizing the new requirement that airlines issue refunds even when flights are disrupted for reasons beyond their control, if they can't complete passengers' itineraries in a timely way; and informing stakeholders and the public about their transportation-related rights and responsibilities.
One thing that will change is the person leading the organization, since my second term as Chair and CEO concludes early in 2021-22. Serving in this role, and working with the exceptional people who comprise the CTA, has been a great privilege and honour. I know that in the years and decades to come, the CTA – Canada's longest-standing independent, expert tribunal and regulator – will continue to contribute in countless ways to the country's prosperity and the ability of its people to travel and connect with one another.
Plans at a glance
The CTA is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal and regulator that has, with respect to all matters necessary for the exercise of its jurisdiction, all the powers of a superior court. The CTA has three mandates:
- It helps ensure that the national transportation system runs efficiently and smoothly in the interests of all Canadians: those who work and invest in it; the producers, shippers, travellers and businesses who rely on it; and the communities where it operates.
- It protects the human right of persons with disabilities to an accessible transportation network.
- It provides consumer protection for air passengers.
To help advance these mandates, the CTA has three tools at its disposal:
- Rule-making: It develops and applies ground rules that establish the rights and responsibilities of transportation service providers and users and that level the playing field among competitors. These rules can take the form of binding regulations or less formal guidelines, codes of practice or interpretation notes.
- Dispute resolution: It resolves disputes that arise between transportation service providers on the one hand and their clients and neighbours on the other, using a range of tools from facilitation and mediation to arbitration and adjudication.
- Information provision: It provides information on the transportation system, the rights and responsibilities of transportation service providers and users, as well as its legislation and services.
The CTA is guided by its strategic priorities:
- A modern framework: Legislation and regulations that reflect current and emerging business models, travellers' and shippers' needs, and best practices in the adjudicative and regulatory fields.
- Excellence in service delivery: Timely, fair, and effective services in the areas of regulatory determination, dispute resolution, and compliance monitoring and enforcement, based on the letter and purpose of the legislation and regulations, relevant jurisprudence, and the evidence.
- Stakeholder and public awareness: Clear, relevant information for stakeholders and the general public on the national transportation system, the rights and responsibilities of transportation providers and users, and CTA services.
- A healthy, high performing organization: Independent ۰ Expert ۰ Impartial ۰ Engaged ۰ Agile ۰ Innovative
For more information on the CTA’s plans, priorities and planned results, see the “Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks” section of this report.
Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks
This section contains detailed information on the department’s planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.
Independent regulatory and dispute-resolution services for transportation providers and users
Description
Set and enforce economic, accessibility, and air passenger protection rules for the national transportation system; resolve disputes between transportation service providers and users through facilitation, mediation, arbitration, and adjudication; and provide information to stakeholders and Canadians in general on the transportation system and their transportation-related rights and responsibilities.
Planning highlights
The CTA will undertake the following activities to support its planned results:
- Continue to modernize our framework:
- Develop a new regulation to close the gap in the air passenger protection framework that was highlighted by the mass flight cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic –the Minister of Transport has provided the CTA with the authority, which it previously did not have, to make a regulation establishing a minimum obligation for all airlines to refund tickets when flights are cancelled or significantly delayed for reasons outside their control and it is not possible for passengers to complete their trips in a timely way.
- Continue work on the guidance renewal project, which began in 2019-20. The CTA issues a range of guidance material to help transportation providers and users understand their rights and legal responsibilities, as well as the CTA's legislation, regulations and services. The CTA launched the guidance renewal project in order to ensure that our guidance documents are as streamlined and straightforward as possible, are written in plain language, and provide accurate and up-to-date information. Guidance renewal work at the CTA will continue through 2020–2021, with a review of all existing CTA guides in our catalogue.
- Provide timely and responsive dispute resolution services. Over the last year, Canadians have filed air passenger complaints in record numbers. Between the full coming-into-force of the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) on December 15, 2019, and up to the start of the pandemic (mid-March), 11,000 complaints were received. By December 31st, 2020, the CTA has received an additional 12,000 complaints, bringing the total to roughly 23,000 over the past 12 months. By way of comparison, in all of 2015, only 800 total complaints were received. In part by emphasizing informal facilitation and mediation, through which 99 per cent of cases are addressed, the CTA processed over 6,000 complaints between the start of the pandemic and mid December 2020. In 2021-22, the CTA will continue to focus on processing as many complaints as possible, as quickly as possible, while ensuring fairness to all parties.
- Continue efforts to make Canada's transportation system the most accessible in the world:
- Engage with members of the disability community – including through the CTA's Accessibility Advisory Committee – to make sure accessibility considerations are fully taken into account as transportation operations begin to recover and rebuild from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Develop new accessible transportation guidelines for medium and small Transportation Service Providers (TSPs) that will set out what is expected of TSPs in meeting their human rights obligations to travellers with disabilities under Part V of the Canada Transportation Act. These guidelines will then be used in developing binding regulations, with the goal of having them in place in 2022.
- Examine, in partnership with the National Research Council (NRC), the use of special service request (SSR) codes with a view to improving the domestic and international air travel experience for persons with disabilities. Work will begin in early 2021.
- Continue to work in partnership with the NRC and Transport Canada to:
- Assess the impact that the recently-introduced rules and protocols – which are designed to ensure safety and to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus – have had in terms of potentially creating challenges for travellers with disabilities.
- Undertake in-depth research and analysis regarding the securement and stowage of mobility aids in the cargo compartment of aircraft. This work will build upon the work done by the International Working Group, which provided a report with a number of recommendations regarding the safe storage and transportation of mobility aids.
- Continue to implement our obligations under the Accessible Canada Act (ACA):
- Implement new planning and reporting regulations which describe how transportation service providers will be required to develop – in consultation with the community of persons with disabilities – accessibility plans for achieving barrier-free operations, per the ACA. They will also be required to establish a feedback process on their plans and publish progress reports.
- As a member of the Council of Federal Accessibility Agencies, continue to work to implement a "No Wrong Door" approach so that regardless of whom accessibility-related complaints are submitted to, they are promptly and seamlessly referred to the right agency. Also among its roles, the Council will engage stakeholders to ensure that the voices of persons with disabilities and others inform its work.
- With new legislative and regulatory changes, the CTA is required to ensure compliance monitoring and enforcement of hundreds of new legal obligations (increasing to about 520 by 2022). These obligations are enforceable by means of administrative monetary penalties (AMP), in respect of over 1,500 transportation service providers across the country. As part of this work, the CTA will continue to implement a state-of-the-art, IT-based approach to targeting finite compliance monitoring and enforcement resources on the basis of the risk and impacts of non-compliance.
- Continue efforts to inform stakeholders and the public about their transportation-related rights and responsibilities and CTA services available to them, including through its dedicated air passenger protection website, which is ground-breaking in terms of user-friendliness, the accessible transportation website, which will significantly exceed minimum accessibility requirements, and the rail and accessibility help lines.
Gender-based analysis plus
Governance structures
The CTA's Executive Committee has included GBA+ in the mandatory training curriculum for all staff to ensure the CTA continues to advance gender equality and build policies, programs and services that respect GBA+ values.
Human resources
Not applicable.
- Given that it is a small organization, the CTA currently has no resources solely dedicated to GBA+.
- However, GBA+ is prioritized and where required, internal resources are assigned to conduct GBA+ analyses, mostly in the context of Workforce and Workplace Services, Treasury Board Submissions and Memorandums to Cabinet.
Planned initiatives
- In 2021-22, GBA+ will also continue to be applied and monitored in the context of cost-benefit analyses within the Treasury Board Submissions process.
Reporting capacity and data
Data related to employment equity, diversity and inclusion will continue to be collected and tracked.
United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Name of department
Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA)
Date
April 2021
Context
The CTA adheres to the principles of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) by complying with the Policy on Green Procurement.
The Policy on Green Procurement supports the Government of Canada’s effort to promote environmental stewardship. In keeping with the objectives of the policy, the CTA supports sustainable development by integrating environmental performance considerations into the procurement decision making process through the actions described in the 2019 to 2022 FSDS “Greening Government” goal.
Commitments
FSDS Target 7.2: green procurement
The CTA will continue to take action to embed environmental considerations into public procurement, in accordance with the federal Policy on Green Procurement.
Integrating sustainable development
The CTA will continue to ensure that its decision-making process includes consideration of FSDS goals and targets through its Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process. A SEA for policy, plan or program proposals includes an analysis of the impacts of the given proposal on the environment, including on FSDS goals and targets.
The results of the CTA’s assessments are made public when an initiative that has undergone a detailed SEA is announced on the CTA's web site. The purpose of the public statement is to demonstrate that the environmental effects, including the impacts on achieving the FSDS goals and targets, of the approved policy, plan or program have been considered during proposal development and decision-making.
| FSDS target | FSDS contributing actions | Corresponding departmental action(s) | Contribution by each departmental action to the FSDS goal and target | Starting point(s), target(s) and performance indicator(s) for departmental actions | Link to the department’s Program Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actions supporting the Greening Government goal and the Policy on Green Procurement | Support for green procurement will be strengthened, including guidance, tools and training for public service employees | Ensure green procurement practices are planned and implemented | CTA approach to further the implementation of the Policy on Green Procurement is in place |
|
All Programs |
| Actions supporting the Greening Government goal and the Policy on Green Procurement | Departments will use environmental criteria to reduce the environmental impact and ensure best value in government procurement decisions | - |
|
|
|
Experimentation
The CTA will continue to experiment with innovative approaches to the way it connects with Canadians and conducts its activities, for example:
- Accessibility: The CTA has adopted and will continue to develop/refine extensive measures to improve accessibility in outreach and communication activities, namely:
- Use of American Sign Language (ASL), Quebec Sign Language (QSL) simultaneous interpretation in stakeholder meetings;
- Development of alternative text (alt-text) for images on our social media platforms;
- Use of simplified and accessible complaint forms;
- Read-aloud functionality on our website and Communications products;
- Use of MathML to make economic information more accessible;
- PDF accessibility;
- Ensuring our website is AA+ or higher Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliant.
- Public Engagement and Consultation: The CTA engages and consults with Canadians using a variety of innovative approaches, such as online questionnaires, written submissions, and videoconference consultation for those unable to attend in-person sessions, and/or because of public health restrictions on gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through these activities, the CTA gains a greater understanding of the perspectives of a wide range of citizens, stakeholders and experts and is better positioned to develop more informed and effective policies and programs.
- Videoconference Hearings: When there's a decision to hold hearings as part of a dispute adjudication or regulatory determination process, the CTA uses videoconference tools.
- Compliance and Enforcement: The CTA engages in numerous innovative approaches in support of its compliance monitoring and enforcement modernization program (e.g., pattern and trend analysis, risk assessment tool, data analytics), to maximize proactive compliance by regulated entities. These reflect lessons learned and shifts in approach within the CTA, technological advances, and the evolution of best practices, including the policy work of the OECD in the area of regulatory enforcement and inspections.
| Risks | Risk Response Strategy | Links to Department's Programs | Link to Departmental Results |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Over-extended resources as a result of increases in CTA mandates and workload Description: Insufficient resources to maintain core business functions with ongoing operational pressures, resolving the unprecedented complaint volumes received between December 2019 and through 2020 – resulting in a significant backlog, while absorbing new mandates resulting from legislative amendments, increasing demand from users, and government-wide transformation initiatives |
The CTA:
|
Analysis and Outreach Dispute Resolution Determinations and Compliance Internal Services |
An efficient, competitive national transportation system Accessible transportation services for persons with disabilities Consumer protection for air travellers |
|
Insufficient public and stakeholder awareness Description: Transportation service providers, travellers and shippers are sometimes insufficiently aware of their rights and responsibilities, and the services available to them through the CTA |
The CTA:
|
Analysis and Outreach Dispute Resolution Determinations and Compliance |
An efficient, competitive national transportation system Accessible transportation services for persons with disabilities Consumer protection for air travellers |
|
Out-of-date guidance material Description: The suite of proponent guidance material published by the CTA requires updates to help transportation providers and users understand their rights and legal responsibilities. |
The CTA will continue to review and update all its guidance material as part of its guidance renewal project. |
Analysis and Outreach Dispute Resolution Determinations and Compliance Internal Services |
An efficient, competitive national transportation system Accessible transportation services for persons with disabilities Consumer protection for air travellers |
| Departmental result | Departmental result indicator | Target | Date to achieve target | 2017–18 actual result | 2018–19 actual result | 2019–20 actual result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| An efficient, competitive national transportation system | Transportation Fluidity Index | Obtain baseline information (2021) | TBD | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| - | Percentage of regulatory authorities issued, and disputes and contested determination cases resolved within service standards | 85% | March 2021 | 90% | 90% | 93% |
| - | Percentage of transportation service providers that comply with legislative and regulatory requirements | 80% | March 2021 | Not available | 61% | 80% |
| Accessible transportation services for persons with disabilities | Percentage of air, rail, marine carriers and facility operators complying with accessibility related legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice | 80% | March 2021 | Not available | 74% | 69% |
| - | Percentage of accessibility disputes resolved within service standards | 80% | March 2021 | 62% | 79% | 84% |
| Consumer protection for air travellers | Percentage of air carriers complying with consumer protection legislative and regulatory requirements | Obtain baseline information (2021) | TBD | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| - | Percentage of air consumer protection disputes resolved within service standards | 85% | March 2021 | Not available | 29% | 50% |
In this report, any reference to “obtain baseline information” in the target column refers to performance indicators that are being developed for future implementation. Results collected in 2020–21 will be used to establish performance targets for future years.
Financial, human resources and performance information for the CTA’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.
| 2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2021–22 planned spending | 2022–23 planned spending | 2023–24 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23,524,771 | 23,524,771 | 21,755,639 | 21,755,639 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for the CTA’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.
| 2021–22 planned full-time equivalents | 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents | 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|
| 194 | 187 | 186 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for the CTA’s program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.
Internal Services: planned results
Description
Internal Services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of Programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal Services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct services that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. These services are:
- Management and Oversight Services
- Communications Services
- Legal Services
- Human Resources Management Services
- Financial Management Services
- Information Management Services
- Information Technology Services
- Real Property Management Services
- Materiel Management Services
- Acquisition Management Services
| 2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2021–22 planned spending | 2022–23 planned spending | 2023–24 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7,505,119 | 9,891,939 | 9,148,036 | 9,148,036 |
Planned human resources for Internal Services
| 2021–22 planned full-time equivalents | 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents | 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|
| 58 | 54 | 52 |
Spending and human resources
This section provides an overview of the department’s planned spending and human resources for the next three consecutive fiscal years and compares planned spending for the upcoming year with the current and previous years’ actual spending.
Planned spending
The departmental spending trend graph presents trends in the CTA's planned and actual spending over time. The data representing actual spending (2018–19 to 2019–20), forecast spending (2020-21) and planned spending (2021–22 to 2023–24), is broken down between Statutory and Voted Expenditures.
Analysis of the variances in actual spending, forecast spending and planned spending is provided in the budgetary planning summary for the core responsibility and internal services section.
Details
| Fiscal year | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory | 3,459 | 3,784 | 5,032 | 2,751 | 3,484 | 3,484 |
| Voted | 29,685 | 31,493 | 37,093 | 30,665 | 27,419 | 27,419 |
| Total | 33,144 | 35,278 | 42,125 | 33,417 | 30,904 | 30,904 |
| Core responsibilities and Internal Services | 2018–19 expenditures | 2019–20 expenditures | 2020–21 forecast spending | 2021–22 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2021–22 planned spending | 2022–23 planned spending | 2023–24 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent regulatory and dispute-resolution services for transportation providers and users | 23,846,783 | 26,431,544 | 30,505,137 | 23,524,771 | 23,524,771 | 21,755,639 | 21,755,639 |
| Internal Services | 9,297,407 | 8,846,242 | 11,619,979 | 7,505,119 | 9,891,939 | 9,148,036 | 9,148,036 |
| Total | 33,144,190 | 35,277,786 | 42,125,116 | 31,029,890 | 33,416,710 | 30,903,675 | 30,903,675 |
The variances observed are explained as follows:
- For fiscal year 2020-21, the forecast spending represents the planned budgetary and statutory expenditures as presented in the Estimates documents (Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates) as well as amounts approved by the Treasury Board as at December 16, 2020. In comparison to the actual expenditures in the previous year, there is an increase of approximately $6.8 million. This increase is primarily attributable to the temporary funding received in order to respond to a higher number of service and accessibility related complaints, the estimated funding to be used in 2020-21 for the costs related to the Government of Canada Workplace 2.0 Fit-up Standards project and an increase to the funding received as part of the Accessible Canada Initiative.
- For fiscal year 2021-22, the planned spending reflects a decrease of approximately $8.7 million in comparison to the previous year forecast spending. This decrease is primarily attributable to the decrease in temporary funds received in 2020-21 in order to respond to a higher number of service and accessibility related complaints. The planned spending also reflects the sunsetting of funds received to support the CTA Modernization. The variance between the 2021-22 planned spending and budgetary spending relates to the estimated funding to be used that year for the Government of Canada Workplace 2.0 Fit-up Standards project. This amount is expected to be reprofiled to 2021-22.
- For the period 2022-23 to 2023-24, the planned spending reflects approved funding by the Treasury Board to support the CTA's strategic outcome and programs. These planned expenditures in 2022-23 are lower than in previous years due to the reduction of available authorities to pay for the Government of Canada Workplace 2.0 Fit-up Standards project and the sunsetting of funds received as part of the Accessible Canada initiative.
Planned human resources
The following table shows actual, forecast and planned full-time equivalents (FTEs) for each core responsibility in CTA’s departmental results framework and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.
| Core responsibilities and Internal Services | 2018–19 actual full time equivalents | 2019–20 actual full time equivalents | 2020–24 forecast full time equivalents | 2021–25 planned full time equivalents | 2022–23 planned full time equivalents | 2023–24 planned full time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent regulatory and dispute-resolution services for transportation providers and users | 198 | 223 | 253 | 194 | 187 | 186 |
| Internal Services | 60 | 63 | 67 | 58 | 54 | 52 |
| Total | 258 | 286 | 320 | 252 | 241 | 238 |
The planned full-time equivalents are expected to decrease over the next couple of years in correspondence with the decrease in funds provided to respond to a higher number of service and accessibility related complaints, to support the CTA Modernization Initiative and the Accessible Canada Initiative.
Estimates by vote
Information on the CTA’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2021–22 Main Estimates.
Future-oriented Condensed statement of operations
The future oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of the CTA’s operations for 2020–21 to 2021–22.
The amounts for forecast and planned results in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The amounts for forecast and planned spending presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.
A more detailed future oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on the CTA’s website.
| Financial information | 2020–21 forecast results | 2021–22 planned results | Difference (2021–22 planned results minus 2020–21 forecast results) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 47,070,931 | 38,718,780 | (8,352,151) |
| Total revenues | - | - | - |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 47,070,931 | 38,718,780 | (8,352,151) |
For fiscal year 2021-22, the planned results reflect a decrease of approximately $8.4 million in comparison to the 2020-21 forecast results. This is primarily attributable to the decrease in temporary funds received in 2020-21 in order to respond to a higher number of service and accessibility related complaints and the sunsetting of funds received to support the CTA Modernization Initiative. In addition, the 2020-21 forecast results include the 2019-20 operating budget carry-forward. This overall decrease is partially offset by the increase in estimated funding to be used in 2021-22 for the costs related to the Government of Canada Workplace 2.0 Fit-up Standards project. The 2021-22 planned results do not include the reimbursement of eligible paylist expenditures and the 2020-21 operating budget carry-forward, if any, since these cannot be estimated with certainty.
Corporate information
Organizational profile
Appropriate minister[s]: The Honourable Omar Alghabra, P.C, M.P., Minister of Transport
Institutional head: Scott Streiner, Chair and Chief Executive Officer
Ministerial portfolio: Transport
Enabling instrument[s]: Canada Transportation Act, S.C. 1996, c. 10, as amended
Year of incorporation / commencement: 1904
Other:
The CTA shares responsibility for the following Acts:
- Accessible Canada Act, 2019
- Canada Marine Act
- Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012
- Civil Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act
- Coasting Trade Act
- Energy Supplies Emergency Act
- Pilotage Act
- Railway Relocation and Crossing Act
- Railway Safety Act
- Shipping Conferences Exemption Act, 1987
The CTA has sole responsibility for the following regulations:
- Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (SOR/2019-244)
- Air Passenger Protection Regulations (SOR/2019-150)
- Air Transportation Regulations (SOR/88-58)
- Canadian Transportation Agency Designated Provisions Regulations (SOR/99-244)
- Regulations on Operational Terms for Rail Level of Services Arbitration (SOR/2014-192)
- Personnel Training for the Assistance of Persons with Disabilities Regulations (SOR/94-42)
- Railway Costing Regulations (SOR/80-310)
- Railway Interswitching Regulations (SOR/88-41)
- Railway Third Party Liability Insurance Coverage Regulations (SOR/96-337)
- Railway Traffic and Passenger Tariffs Regulations (SOR/96-338)
- Railway Traffic Liability Regulations (SOR/91-488)
The CTA shares responsibility for the following regulations:
- Transportation Information Regulations (SOR/96-334)
- Railway Company Pay Out of Excess Revenue for the Movement of Grain Regulations (SOR/2001-207)
- The Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc. Regulations (SOR/98-568)
- The Seaway International Bridge Corporation, Ltd. Regulations (SOR/98-569)
The CTA has promulgated the following Rules:
- Canadian Transportation Agency Rules (Dispute Proceedings and Certain Rules Applicable to All Proceedings) (SOR/2014-104)
- Rules of Procedure for Rail Level of Service Arbitration (SOR/2014-94)
These Acts and Regulations are available on the Department of Justice website, and are accessible through the "Acts and Regulations" section of the CTA website.
Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
“Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do” is available on the CTA’s website.
Operating context
Information on the operating context is available on the CTA’s website.
Reporting framework
The CTA approved Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory for 2021–22 are as follows.
Details
Graphical presentation of Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory
Core Responsibility : Independent regulatory and dispute-resolution services for transportation providers and users
Departmental Results Framework
Results and indicators
Result 1: An efficient, competitive national transportation system
Indicators
1A Transportation Fluidity Index
1B Percentage of regulatory authorities issued, and disputes and contested determination cases resolved within service standards
1C Percentage of transportation service providers that comply with legislative and regulatory requirements
Result 2: Accessible transportation services for persons with disabilities
Indicators
2A Percentage of air, rail, marine carriers and facility operators complying with accessibility-related legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice
2B Percentage of accessibility disputes resolved within service standards
Result 3: Consumer protection for air travellers
Indicators
3A Percentage of air carriers complying with consumer protection legislative and regulatory requirements
3B Percentage of air consumer protection disputes resolved within service standards
Program Inventory
- Analysis and Outreach
- Dispute Resolution
- Determinations and Compliance
Internal Services
Supporting information on the Program Inventory
Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to the CTA’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information tables are available on the CTA's website:
Federal tax expenditures
CTA’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures that relate to its planned results for 2021–22.
Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance, and the Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government¬ wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis. The tax measures presented in this report are solely the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.
Organizational contact information
Mailing address
Canadian Transportation Agency
60 Laval Street, Unit 01
Gatineau, QC
J8X 3G9
Telephone: 1-888-222-2592
Fax: 819-997-6727
Email: info@otc-cta.gc.ca
Website: https://www.otc-cta.gc.ca/
Appendix: definitions
- appropriation (crédit))
- Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
- budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
- Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.
- core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
- An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.
- Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
- A report on the plans and expected performance of a department over a 3 year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.
- departmental priority (priorité ministérielle)
- A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Departmental priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.
- departmental result (résultat ministériel)
- A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.
- departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
- A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.
- departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
- A framework that consists of the department’s core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.
- Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
- A report on a department’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.
- experimentation (expérimentation)
- The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare, the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works and what doesn’t. Experimentation is related to, but distinct form innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.
- full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
- A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person year charge against a departmental budget. Full time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.
- gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS+])
- An analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.
- government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
- For the purpose of the 2021–22 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities refers to those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2020 Speech from the Throne, namely: Protecting Canadians from COVID-19; Helping Canadians through the pandemic; Building back better – a resiliency agenda for the middle class; The Canada we’re fighting for.
- horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
- An initiative in which two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.
- non budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
- Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.
- performance (rendement)
- What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
- performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)
- A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.
- performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)
- The process of communicating evidence based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision-making, accountability and transparency.
- plan (plan)
- The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.
- planned spending (dépenses prévues)
- For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the Main Estimates.
- A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.
- program (programme)
- Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
- program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
- Identifies all of the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.
- result (résultat)
- An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization’s influence.
- statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
- Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.
- strategic outcome (résultat stratégique)
- A long-term and enduring benefit to Canadians that is linked to the organization’s mandate, vision and core functions.
- target (cible)
- A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.
- voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
- Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.
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